Vehicle-wheel.



UNrnD STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. SMITILOF MASSAPEAG, CONNECTICUT.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming' part Of Letters Patent No; 600,401, dated October 23, 1900.

Application filed August `6, 1900. Serial No. 26,066. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Massapeag, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Wheels; and l do hereby declare the follow-ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention aims to provide a hub for vehicle -wheels, pulleys, and kindred structures comprising a rim, hub, and spokes, the purpose being to devise a simple and effective construction of hub which will ad mit of shrinkage or looseness of any nature between the spokes and rim being easily and quicklyconical form located between the inner ends of the hub-sections and preferably attached to and constituting apart of one of said sections, and a spoke-annulus composed of sections and capable of expansion by means of the aforesaid spreader to move the spokes outward and take up any play or looseness.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof,and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result, reference is to be had to the appended description and the drawings hereto attached.

While the essential and characteristic features of the invention are necessarily susceptible of modification, still the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a central longitudinal section of a hub constructed in accordance'with and embodying the vital features of this invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the hub-sections. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the spoke-annulus. Fig-5 is a detail view in perspective of a segment-section of the spokeannulus.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The hub comprises an outer section l and an inner section 2, the two sections being connected by a screw-thread joint. The sections are of similar construction and comprise a box portion and arwooden sleeve securely fitted upon the box portion; The box portions 3 of the hub-sections are formed at their inner ends with ianges 4, against which the wooden sleeves 5 are fitted, and between these ianges is clamped the spoke-annulus. The conical spreader 6 is located in the plane of the spokes and spoke-annulus and projects across the space formed between the flanges 4t and is by preference an integral part of one ofthe box portions and is internally threaded to receive the Vexteriorly-threaded tubular extension 7 of the box of the inner section 2. The tubular section 7 forms a continuation of the inner box portion and serves, in conjunction with the conical spreader, to connect the hub-sections in a simple and effective manner. j

The spoke-annulus is composed of rings involving a sectional construction, said rings being composed of segment-sections 8, the sections b of one ring being disposed Yto break joint with the sections of the other ring. The inner edge or wall of the spoke-annulus tapers in conformity1 to the outer wall of the spreader 6, so that when the spreader is forced into the annulus the latter is expanded and causes the spokes to move outward and take up any looseness vexisting between them and the hub and rim. The segment-sections 8 consist of a plate 9 and wedge-shaped lugs or projections l0, spaced apart a distance corresponding to the thickness of the spoke-tenons. The sections 8 are arranged with the plates 9 outermost and the lugs or projections l0 facing inward. The spaces formed between adjacent lugs orprojections lO constitute sockets for the tenons of the spokes when the sections 8' are properly assembled to form thev spoke-annulus. For the sake of lightness and cheapness of construction the lugs or pro- IOO jections 10 are cored, whereby a minimum amount of metal is used in thelformation of the annulus.

The segment-sections 8, as Well as the box portions of the hub-sections, are preferably cast, although they may be formed in any desired way, and after the sections 8 are as-` sembled to form the spoke-annulus and the latter is received between the hub-sections the spokes 11 are driven home in the spokesockets and fitted to the rim in the usual way. The construction is such as to admit of the spokes beingfirst fitted to the rim and the annulus subsequently tted to the tenoned ends of the spokes. In either manner of assembling the parts any looseness between the spokes and the hub and rim is taken up by screwing the sections l and 2 together, which results in forcing the spreader into the spoke-annulus andk a corresponding expansion of the latter, so as to move the spokes outward. When all looseness is taken up and the parts firmly clamped, loosening is prevented by having the screw-thread connection formed so at to tighten by turning the parts of the hub in the direction of rotation of the Wheel, pulley, or the like. This necessitates uniting some of the hub-sections by a right-hand screw-thread and others by a left-hand screw-thread, according to the relative position of the wheel upon the wagon or other vehicle. Should it become `necessary to replace a broken or disabled spoke, the hub-sections are separated to admit of access to the spoke-annulus, and sections thereof receiving the crippled spoke are removed, so as to admit of the broken spoke being displaced and substituted by a new after the parts are reassembled, as Will be readily comprehended.

`Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new isl. Ina Wheel or the like, a sectional hub, means for connecting the parts of the hub,

va conical spreader in the plane of the spokes,

the lugsorprojections facing inward and the spaces between the said lugs unitedly formin g sockets to receive the tenons of the spokes, substantiallyas set forth.

2. The herein-described hub composed of similarly-formed sections, each consisting of a box portion having a ange at its inner end and a Wooden sleeve fitted upon its outer end portion, an exteriorlythreaded tubular extension at ythe inner end of one box portion, and a conical spreader at the inner end of the other boX portion and interiorly threaded to receive the exteriorly threaded tubular extension, and a sectional spoke -annulus adapted to be clamped between the flanges of the box portions of the hub-sections `and to be expanded by the aforementioned conical spreader, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JoHN cfsivn'rn. [ns1 Witnesses:

vEDWARD KIRBY, CHESTER M. CONVERSE. 

